by Pastor Cecil | Feb 18, 2014 | 1 Kings
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Back in the 1960’s, I served in the US Air Force at a remote radar site on the northern tip of the Canadian Province of Newfoundland. Our primary task was to protect our nation from attack by warning of possible enemy action.
One of the major elements in defending against aggression is being on alert at all times. I can still recall the long night hours when I was on alert for any sign of threat to our nation. When you are wide awake and expectant, it is much easier to react quickly and appropriately. When the night hours slipped by and our eyes felt like they were filled with sand, it was still necessary to react in a professional manner that comes from long hours of training.
In our spiritual walk we never know when the enemy will mount an attack. We can almost be certain that this attack will occur when we are weary and worn. If we have not spent the time in self examination, prayer, and Bible study, we will be very vulnerable to the attack.
There is one thing we can be sure about–we will meet our Lord face to face. It may be at the moment our eyes close in death or it may be when the trumpet sounds and we are called up to meet the Lord in the air. Either way, we must be on the alert with our lamps burning bright. Are you on the alert?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 17, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
We never know how close we are to eternity! In 1953 I had completed basic training in California and was being transported to Texas. Approximately fifty of us were flying on an older model military transport plane–an old one! It was left over from World War II.
One of the flight crew notified us that we would be making a stop in New Mexico. As we landed, one of the two propellers stopped. We were stranded there for several hours while the necessary repairs were made. One of the mechanics happened to mention we were lucky we were so close to base before the trouble hit. Yikes!
I haven’t thought about that incident for years. Thinking about it now I realize that we could very easily have crashed and I would have been ushered into eternity! I have had other close calls that reveal to me that we are just a heartbeat from eternity!
While we may have many incidents that are life threatening, it is comforting to remember that while we are here in the body we are absent from the Lord. When this life ends we will be absent from the body and praise God, we will be with Him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 14, 2014 | Genesis
Genesis 9:16
Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.
Years ago my wife Joyce and I were once driving along the beautiful Columbia River gorge in Oregon. A rain shower had recently swept across the area, and now bright sunlight flooded the area. As we drove, a rainbow kept pace beside the car. I know it was just a refraction of the sunlight, but what an awe inspiring sight.
There are two requirements to produce a rainbow, rain and sun. Without rain there could be no rainbow. Without sun there would be no rainbow. In the rainy times of our life, God’s tender care for us brings His rainbow of blessing. God’s covenant of love did not say that we would be free of rain, but He is always with us in the storms of life.
Back in 1879 Rev. J. K. Alwood was equally moved as he observed a rainbow in the western sky late one evening as he was traveling home. When he arrived at his home, he immediately composed the hymn for this week; The Unclouded Day.
The Unclouded Day
O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies,
O they tell me of a home far away;
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
O they tell me of a home where my friends have gone,
O they tell me of that land far away;
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance thru the unclouded day.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
O they tell me of the King in His beauty there,
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold,
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow,
In the city that is made of gold.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
O they tell me that he smiles on His children there,
And his smile drives their sorrows all away;
And they tell me that no tears ever come again,
In that lovely land of unclouded day.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video The Unclouded Day, fromGloryScapes™ Christian Hymns.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 13, 2014 | Romans
Romans 7:14-18
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
As we read the words of today’s Scripture, it appears that there is no hope for us. If the Apostle Paul felt that there was no good thing in him, what about you and me? The fact is, as human beings, we are subject to failure.
Peter was adamant about his support of Jesus just before Jesus was arrested. But in spite of all his good intentions, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before daylight. The other disciples were no better as they turned and ran away.
You may have faced situations in your life when your commitment to the Lord slipped. It was your intention to stand firm, but then you began to allow things to slip into your life and, before long, you were on the outside looking in. Does that ring a bell?
Paul ends his lament about the control sin has over our hearts with a shout of victory in verse 25: Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! There is our answer and our source of deliverance. It is not in or through our best efforts, but only through the shed blood of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Humanity fails, but Christ wins!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 12, 2014 | Acts
Acts 9:17-18
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.
We never know when or how the Lord will choose to use us. We can be going about our regular business when out of the blue a situation will arise that places us in a position to be used by the Lord. It may be an action or a word, but somehow we will know it was a divine encounter.
I remember such a situation many years ago. I was shopping in a warehouse store and observed a woman with a son and daughter. I was grieved at the way the mother spoke harshly to her daughter. The girl was trying her best to help and all she received was belittling comments from her mother.
I felt the best thing I could do was smile at the little girl. Aisle after aisle we would pass one another and each time I would smile at her. At the checkout stand each customer had to bag their own groceries. The little girl was bagging for her family while her older brother just lounged around. Suddenly the girl came over to my area and began to bag my groceries. I began to brag on her and told her I could just imagine how proud her mother must be to have such a helpful daughter. I can still recall her waving to me as they left the store.
How will God use you today? As far as we know, Ananias was used only one time in his life. That one time was significant. Be alert and ready to touch a life today! D. James Kennedy says, “The only ability a Christian needs is availability.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
